If 2019 is becoming a rerun of 1979, with unrest in this Disunited Kingdom, then Killing Joke is as vital now as they were then. No longer young Turks but elder statesmen with a message to heed. Killing Joke is in town, bring out your dead.
Over a lengthy 21 song set (the more impressive that frontman Jaz was taken ill a few days ago), Killing Joke gave a history lesson of their importance to alternative music and to political and social concerns that were being felt from the late 1970s onwards.
Ministry, Marilyn Manson and many others studied long and hard at the scriptures of KJ.
Visually, the death mask make-up that covered Jaz’s face gave his thousand-yard stare even more impact. He prowled the stage whilst the band laid down a rhythmic rock blast.
Whilst the bass and vocals dominated the mix the band’s sound could be heard as a sonic whole and it didn’t take much for a savage mosh pit to break out by and around the stage.
After a four-song encore, they were done. With the band filming the gig it’ll be interesting to see if the memory matches the evidence. Dystopia never sounded so good.
Killing Joke Set List
- Tomorrow’s World
- Wardance
- Seeing Red
- Autonomous Zone
- In Excelsis
- Eighties
- Complications
- The Fall of Because
- Butcher
- Turn to Red
- European Super State
- Total Invasion
- Loose Cannon
- Exorcism
- Asteroid
- The Wait
- Pssyche
- The Hum (Encore)
- S.O.36 (Encore)
- The Death and Resurrection Show (Encore)
- Pandemonium (Encore)
Radical Dance Faction was tonight’s support act. White punks on dope? Not tonight, more likely ale as it’s a school night. Shanking in the crowd was evident though most people were in the bar enjoying hop based sustenance. The missing link between Crust, Punk and Reggae. Spoke sang lyrics didn’t always compliment the music but as 80s contemporaries to Killing Joke at the very least the booking was simpatico.
A night where we looked back to the 70s and 80s before going forward. Where’s Thatcher… oh Donald and Boris. I see! Blond ambition anyone?
Plugged In Brighton 